CIE Faculty Career Week Returns!

Dr. Matthew Lerner addresses the job hunt for Social Sciences faculty positions

Dr. Matthew Lerner addresses the job hunt for Social Sciences faculty positions

This week we are focusing on Essential Elements of the Faculty Job Application.  Today Dr. Matthew Lerner, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in the SBU Psychology Department, was our featured speaker in an event targeting Social Science grad students and PhDs.

He introduced the faculty job search process by talking about the variety of traditional academic jobs, and what ingredients went into the “secret sauce” for entering the job market (hint:  recipe includes networking).

He suggests that RESEARCH STATEMENTS be a 2-4 page “review article of your research program,” that includes a clear and coherent collection of: your project(s) theme, findings, subthemes, and a brief summary of future plans (do not lock yourself in by being too specific).

TEACHING STATEMENTS should be 1-2 pages that include your teaching philosophy with specific examples from your experience, use of creative approaches/technology, “Courses I feel prepared to teach” (be sure you list them using their terminology/course titles), Teaching awards.  Remember that “teaching” includes TA, class, one-to-one, supervision and mentorship.  And convey your enthusiasm!

While not all reviewers will look closely at your teaching statement, they will ask to see your TEACHING PORTFOLIO.  This may be one page with:  Table of classes taught (when, what, to whom/# students, where), evidence of teaching excellence (cherry-pick the best quotes from a few student evals, and give a summary of ratings with benchmarks to compare them to.

Dr. Lerner concluded with a timeline and ideas about how to prepare for your search.  We appreciate his thorough approach, and willingness to answer questions from the participants.  Students, postdocs and staff agreed we learned a lot…

Dr. Lerner and the Essential Elements Participants

Dr. Lerner and the Essential Elements Participants

Creating Paths to Grad School in Science hosted by the Stony Brook Chapter of SACNAS on Monday, April 28

Creating Paths to Grad School in Science event hosted by the Stony Brook Chapter of the Society for Advancement of Hispanics / Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) on Monday, April 28

Creating Paths to Grad School in Science hosted by the Stony Brook Chapter of the Society for Advancement of Hispanics / Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) on Monday, April 28.

Thirty-five attendees participated in the Creating Paths to Grad School in Science event hosted by the Stony Brook Chapter of the Society for Advancement of Hispanics / Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) on Monday, April 28. The event was aimed towards increasing awareness of the mentoring and research opportunities available on campus, to better prepare undergraduate students for science graduate programs. Graduate students made presentations where they each described how their interest in science emerged and their current research areas. The keynote speaker, Dr. David Ferguson (Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion & Distinguished Service Professor and Chair, Department of Technology and Society) talked to students about the importance of making the most out of mentoring opportunities. The event culminated in a networking dinner where undergraduate students had the chance to network with graduate students to discuss issues related to research opportunities, graduate school preparation, and identifying mentors. If you would like more information regarding the Stony Brook Chapter of SACNAS, please contact Chris Martinez at sacnas.sbu@gmail.com.

Faculty and students at the networking dinner following the Creating Paths to Grad School in Science event.

Faculty and students at the networking dinner following the Creating Paths to Grad School in Science event.